CPA Keynote 2026: Felicity Aylieff – The China Affair: Porcelain, Practice, Place

Since her first residency in 2005, Felicity Aylieff has returned each summer to Jingdezhen, China – the historic heart of porcelain production. Collaborating closely with local factories, she has developed a contemporary approach to traditional techniques including cobalt blue-and-white painting and fencai on-glaze enamels, often working at an extraordinary scale. In this CPA Keynote talk, Felicity reflects on over two decades of working in Jingdezhen, exploring how these collaborations have shaped her distinctive ceramic language. The talk will be illustrated with examples from recent exhibitions at Kew Gardens and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Felicity Aylieff is an artist of international standing, recognised for her innovation in large-scale ceramics. She is known for her monumental porcelain pots, the largest of which stands 5.5m high, pushing the material to its limits. Having graduated from Bath Academy of Art in 1978, Aylieff went on to teach ceramics at Bath Spa University as a senior tutor until 2001. She then began lecturing at the Royal College of Art, where she is currently Professor of Ceramics and Glass. Recent exhibitions include Kew Gardens and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, with a forthcoming exhibition at Petworth House in West Sussex. Her work has been collected extensively at home and abroad, notably: Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA; Mint Museum, USA; V&A Museum, UK; Boston Museum of Fine Arts, USA; York Museum, UK; Chatsworth House, UK; Fitzwilliam Museum, UK.